38 | ZiNG CARIBBEAN http://www.liat.com | May - June 2019
LIME
CARIBBEAN
VOICES
TALK ...
People making waves around the Caribbean
Voice of
the people
Dominica-born Patricia Scotland has been
breaking barriers her whole life – and in 2016
she became the fi rst female Commonwealth
Secretary-General. We asked her what that
means,andwhatshehopestoachieve
Q
What does the post
of Commonwealth
Secretary-General entail?
As the chief executive of the
Commonwealth Secretariat, my
job is to work with our experts
and development partners to
turn the visions of our heads
of government into action
and positive change for all
Commonwealth citizens.
Q
What might be a typical
day? Representing 53
countries means that no two days
are the same. Today I might be in
London hosting a conference on
youth employment; tomorrow
I could be in Poland attending a
conference on climate change.
But wherever I am, my aim is the
same: to develop and harness
the talent and resources in the
Commonwealth and turn them
into solutions to some of the
most pressing problems facing
our member countries.
Q
What are the best things
about your role? The
people I meet. I have been so
inspired and I have learned
so much about the amazing
talent and potential in our
Commonwealth. I am convinced
that, with our vast and diverse
human resources, our biggest
obstacles are easily overcome.
This really gives me hope for a
Commonwealth with
a bright future.
Q
And what are the worst?
Seeing human suffering
- though it spurs me on to do
more and to focus on concrete
outcomes for the 2.4 billion
people I serve.
Q
Your career has been full of
‘fi rsts’. What gave you the
drive to succeed?
In my life, I have encountered a
number of crossroads. As a young
black girl growing up in Britain
in the 1960s and 1970s, a career